Capítulo 14: Resolving His Determination
"He worked with that woman."
Even without her name being mentioned specifically, he immediately knew who they were referring to. Somewhere deep down, he felt a lingering sense of discomfort. More than towards the woman herself, it was the existence of something associated with her that kept gnawing at the back of his mind.
"That's right."
"Unexpectedly, she was a clumsy woman. Maybe he could skillfully use her as a tool."
"Did you serve the miso soup?"
"Ah, I'll bring it right over."
George turned to serve a customer who had come up to pay. As he handed over the change, he casually checked the time. It would be closing time soon.
It seemed Muroya had another night shift after finishing his part-time job at this beef bowl restaurant. George inwardly clicked his tongue, thinking he must be using drugs too much. Even though he was alternating shifts with the construction site job, George had never heard that Muroya's savings were increasing. He even owed some debt to his girlfriend, Nakayama.
He understood that moderation was important in everything. Drugs should only be indulged in recreationally. If you got too deep into them, it became meaningless.
And yet, George recognized his own restlessness. His mind was already focused on what would happen after he returned home. He hadn't been able to properly take care of things this morning because he overslept.
He wasn't very aware that he had become completely engrossed in something other than drugs. He tended to think rather conveniently about himself.
On his way back to the apartment, his phone rang. He answered with an annoyed motion as he walked briskly.
"What is it?"
"Hey, are you free tomorrow?"
"No can do. I've got something to do."
The person on the other end, Yamada, seemed to sigh.
"You're going again? That's two months in a row. Aren't you going overboard? When are we going to the planetarium then?"
"The week after next is fine."
"If it gets pushed back that far, the timing might not match up. I don't want to bring the suit on our date."
"Then Sumi can come too."
"No way. How many times do I have to tag along? I'm sick of it. I feel nauseous just smelling that place."
"Whatever."
Conversely, George didn't understand what was so great about stars. He had never gone with her even once, but he did think it could be okay to join her sometime. However, there were priorities before that.
After listening to her complain a bit about her workplace, he hung up. It was good that the call didn't drag on this time. It ended before he got back to the apartment.
In front of the very first door on the ground floor, he took out his keys. He had rushed a bit, so he dropped them. Clicking his tongue repeatedly, he picked them up and unlocked the door.
"I'm back."
There was no response. In fact, no one else lived in this room besides George. There were no dogs or cats scurrying over either, as he made his way into the living room.
First, he operated the CD recorder and played his favorite classical music at just the right volume - Bach's Air on the G String. Enjoying the elegant sound of the violin, he filled a small watering can.
He didn't really believe that listening to good music made a difference. He had never actually felt any noticeable effect from it. However, even without any basis, his approach was to try every possible method.
"~♪"
Humming along with the melody, he began watering the plants.
First was an endearing potted plant with a swollen trunk - a Banyan. It was said that a spirit of happiness dwelled within it, which he didn't entirely consider superstition. Its very existence brought a sense of fortune.
Next, he moved to the pot beside the sofa. It had a tropical-looking trunk and slender leaves shooting upwards - a much larger Yucca, also known as the Tree of Youth. It helped soften the atmosphere of the room.
It wasn't just leafy plants either. On a long shelf were rows of colorful blooming flowers - zinnias, azaleas and more. Some varieties were prone to drying out, so on days like today when he forgot to water even once, he felt anxious even while at work.
Amidst the sounding classical music, George gazed at the plants and picked up a joint - a rolled paper filled with cannabis and thicker paper for a filter tip.
"Ahh, nice..."
For him, it was a blissful moment. His ears took in the high-quality classical tunes, his nose the scent of the plants, as he puffed on the joint. He didn't mind spending any amount of money to maintain this peace.
He knew it was an unsuitable hobby. At first it had just been on a whim. While researching cannabis cultivation, he became interested in the differences from other plants. And before he knew it, he was in over his head.
But the drugs didn't seem to be hitting him as well as usual today. He could more or less guess the reason.
He found it hard to accept. Plants should just be plants. They shouldn't have a pair of insolent eyes and legs to casually walk around on. Something about it stuck in his craw. And it was all because of those aliens.
He turned on his smartphone and checked his destination for tomorrow. Just doing that lifted the oppressive feeling.
He had intended to change his mood from the usual. Take a little trip out of the way. Although there weren't many in Osaka Prefecture, his research had found an interesting garden he wanted to visit. He planned to get up early and head there as soon as it opened.
The next day, he would come to regret that decision.
***
"It's my first time here."
"There's so many!"
"Wow, there are all kinds of different species, huh?"
George's movements were swift. The moment he caught a glimpse of a familiar voice and figure out of the corner of his eye, he had dashed into the bathroom. Right after entering a stall, he felt a surge of anger at having to hide like this, but the thought of boldly appearing before Shirona and the others also didn't sit right with him.
It was the worst day, he clicked his tongue. Even though he had looked forward to coming to this botanical garden, he couldn't feel at ease at all.
Gazing up at the towering trees, he began pondering what to do. And then unbidden, he recalled defiant eyes meeting his gaze.
"..."
Without hesitating, George tried to swat away the figure perched on the railing. But Roserade nimbly evaded him. And as it passed in front of him, a weight pressed down on his head.
Inwardly grumbling that its trainer's measure was showing, he swung his arm. Yet the opponent deftly moved atop his smooth head, adroitly avoiding him. At the moment, he wasn't wearing the suit himself. He couldn't respond at all to Roserade's movements.
"Get off me, you idiot!"
He heard its cry, sounding thoroughly mocking to his ears. Growing even more annoyed, he shook his head violently, but this time it shifted to his shoulder. He struck out with his hand, but only ended up hurting his own shoulder in the end. Having landed back on the railing in front of him, she stuck out her tongue slightly. George sorely regretted not having brought Gantz's weaponry.
"What are you doing?"
The loud voice must have carried, as Shirona came walking over from the side. Upon meeting George's gaze, her expression became somewhat pensive.
The young woman who had been resurrected by her and the boy who looked like her child also looked on, seemingly confused by the situation.
George ordered a coffee at the terrace cafe.
"Why are you here?"
Shirona seemed to remember him well. Most likely thanks to Roserade. If someone saw it coming out of its ball, it could cause a commotion, but she had deftly hidden its features by having it mimic a plant. Its slender body and legs were cradled in Shirona's arms.
George raked a hand through his hair as he leaned back against the backrest. "I came to scout the place. For when I bring a girl here."
"How diligent."
"But for a date spot to be here...she must really like plants, huh?" Anzu casually remarked, seemingly believing him.
However, there was one among them who remained skeptical. Roserade was subtly wiggling what seemed to be its nose in George's direction, sniffing intently. As if noticing something, it opened one eye slightly and exhaled from its small mouth.
Shirona also appeared to catch on to its behavior.
"What is it?"
Just as Roserade was about to let out a mocking cry, George stood up from his seat. He roughly tossed some money for his order onto the table and started heading for the exit.
"Leaving already?"
"The scouting is done. You'd better play your game properly next time."
An indescribable feeling he couldn't ignore had grown too large. Regretting that what was supposed to be a soothing day had turned into the worst, he tried to keep ignoring it.
The image of Roserade snuggled up to Shirona lingered in the back of his mind even after leaving.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
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